KC Chiefs’ Continued Responses to Adversity Fueled AFC Championship Game Win
At this point, the Kansas City Chiefs are simply inevitable.
The same Kansas City squad that went from 6-1 to 9-6 this season and looked like a shell of itself at times just punched its ticket to Super Bowl LVIII. For the second year in a row, Andy Reid's team has a chance to compete for the greatest honor the NFL has to offer. This year, it comes on the heels of a 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
The Chiefs' AFC Championship Game win wasn't pretty, but this campaign hasn't been pretty. There were plenty of times on Sunday where the visitors were tested, allowing them to ultimately pass through to the real championship game. Thanks to some early offense and more great defense, the Lamar Hunt trophy is going back to Kansas City and the Chiefs' original goal from before the season is still alive.
After Sunday's game, Reid spoke to the media about how proud he was. The future Hall of Fame head coach points to an unwavering positive attitude as the reason why this current run is happening.
"Easily, you could fold," Reid said. "I told you after our last game against Buffalo, the thing that stood out to me most was just the positive attitude on the sideline. Through the highs and the lows, a positive attitude. That kind of tells you the season [and] gives you the whole story there. The guys never doubted. They put themselves in a position where you had a chance. They took care of that. Great attitude on this team."
At one point in the Chiefs' season, they had dropped four of six games. They couldn't get out of their own way offensively and appeared to be a team destined for a first or second-round playoff loss rather than a Super Bowl appearance. Even in their final four games of the year — three wins in that span — the quality of their opponents was low and the quality of the victories remained unpleasing. The look of a championship-caliber squad still wasn't quite there.
Like they have so many times in the past, however, they found a way to rally together anyway. Instead of fading into the darkness at a place like M&T Bank Stadium, they managed to shine bright. The NFL season is already a grind, let alone for a team trying to win a world title. General manager Brett Veach attested to that on Sunday, adding that it prepared the Chiefs for their playoff run.
"I just think we probably had more adversity this year," Veach said. "I think someone asked the question before — I don't play it — but just being around here and being a part of this, there is the aspect of mental fatigue. We've been blessed and fortunate to have long seasons. These guys, their offseasons are shorter and shorter and shorter. As everyone knows, Coach runs an extremely tough training camp, so there is a little bit of that. But it pays off in the end, because when you play your most important football, these guys are just so hardened and so tough that we're able to come into environments like this and Buffalo last week and win. It's not easy to do, but I think it's just how these guys are wired."
In each of the last three weeks, the Chiefs were challenged in some way, shape or form. On Wild Card Weekend, they played in one of the coldest games in NFL history against one of the best offenses the league had to offer. In the Divisional Round, Patrick Mahomes went on the road for the first time in his playoff career. After taking down the Buffalo Bills as an underdog, Kansas City had to do the same in a hostile environment on Sunday. The Ravens pulled out just about every stop possible to put themselves in a position to win a championship this season. Instead, it was a familiar sight on stage as that aforementioned trophy got handed out.
Mahomes, who's only known AFC Championship Games and/or Super Bowls, could easily treat this like just another game. He recognizes the importance and severity of these contests, though.
"You don't take it for granted, either," Mahomes said. "You never know how many you're going to get to or if you're going to get to any. It truly is special. Just to do it with these guys after what we've been through all season long, guys coming together, it really is special. But I told them, [the] job's not done. Our job now is to prepare ourselves to play a good football team in the Super Bowl and try to get that ring."
Regardless of how the Chiefs' season finishes, some would consider it a minor surprise that their postseason run has lasted this long. A combination of their perceived mortality and a seemingly strong field of AFC contenders made this a prime year for someone else to ascend to the mountaintop. With the calendar soon flipping to February, folks will still be discussing Kansas City instead. Reid, now months into the 2023-24 NFL marathon, is ready for more.
"The best part is we're not done," Reid said. "We've got another game. You love these seasons to carry on as long as they can possibly carry on, and we're there. Now, we've got to get right back at it and start grinding for whoever wins this game here."
